Talking to People

This topic starts with an exercise to get you to think about what you would like from an agency if you were going for help with an addiction problem. Next you will explore some of the fundamentals that, over years of changing cultures, have been shown to be important.

This debate focuses on the motion: ‘Creating rapport is more important than getting on with treatment’.

In discussion with your study group, however you have construed it, this task is about clarifying your thoughts on organisational culture and how it might be relevant to your own practice.

This topic is about having positive conversations with service users that open up their concerns and avoid getting into arguments. Drug and alcohol testing is used as an example but the idea of interacting in a motivationally enhancing way is applicable in all circumstances.

This task takes the form of a debate to raise a controversial subject about which you are expected to form an opinion. The motion is: ‘Informal discussion, or chat, is a crucial part of building a working alliance between practitioner and service user’.

The task for your study group in this topic is about clarifying your thoughts on applying a motivational style of interaction with your service users and how it might be relevant to your own practice. Take this opportunity to try it with your study group colleagues.

There is a small but consistent body of research which has looked at what it is that therapists do and why some are more effective at helping people than others - why such big differences. This topic explores the characteristics of therapists' behaviours and why these influence outcomes so strongly.

The motion in this debate is: ‘To be effective, supervision needs to be undertaken by practitioners with addiction expertise’.

Here the task for discussion with your study group is about clarifying your thoughts on why some practitioners are more effective than others and how you might change your own practice. For obvious reasons this is a subject that practitioners, but also supervisors, often avoid talking about.

This topic explores why it is always a good idea to encourage support from family and friends and why it makes a big difference to addiction outcomes. Involvement of family and friends is the basis of Social Behaviour and Network Therapy which is an effective treatment for addiction.

The controversial motion for this debate is: ‘Everybody should be encouraged to use social media as part of their support network’.

In your study group discussion you are invited to clarify your thoughts on including family and friends in treatment and how you might make changes to your own practice. Do not underestimate the importance of family and friends - get comfortable with involving them.